Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Baldy bustles after holiday storm

Christmas skiers take advantage of fresh powder

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By JON DUVAL
Express Staff Writer

Around 2 feet of snowfall in four days led to the first powder days of the season on Bald Mountain, bringing with it a vast array of fat powder skis, as seen here. With more snow forecast for the New Year’s weekend, Sun Valley visitors will have plenty to brag about upon their return home. Photo by Willy Cook

     Storms beginning on Christmas Eve dumped over 2 feet of snow on BaldMountain and filled lift lines with skiers and snowboarders throughout the weekend.

     Sun Valley Co. spokesman Jack Sibbach said the skier count for Friday through Sunday totaled 16,690, about 4,000 fewer than on the same weekend last year.

     While some of the decrease can be attributed to a slight drop in occupancy, Sibbach said it was also a result of the severity of the storm.

     “The total number of skiers on a given day can decrease by 30 percent in the event of heavy cloud cover or snowfall,” he said.

     That was especially evident on Christmas Day, when only 1,900 skiers took to the mountain, the majority of which was closed while the Sun Valley Ski Patrol took additional avalanche precautions. Last year saw 4,606 people on Baldy on Dec. 25.

     The resort experienced a small hiccup early Saturday afternoon when a blown fuse led to a loss of power to the Challenger Lift, which runs from the base of Warm Springs to the top of the mountain. Auxiliary diesel power generators were used to unload passengers off the chairs, said Sun Valley Ski Patrol Assistant Director Rich Bingham. The blown fuse also caused a brief power outage at the River Run base lodge, he said.

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     Idaho Power spokesperson Stephanie McCurdy said the fuse blew at 11:28 a.m. on Saturday and was replaced by Idaho Power employees at 12:38 p.m., restoring full power to the lift and lodge.

     Bingham said on Monday that 48 inches of natural snow had fallen on BaldMountain this winter, with a total snow depth of 56 inches at the top of the mountain.

     With the new snow, the resort was able to achieve its annual goal of opening the entire mountain by the Christmas holiday.